Ornamental chicken breeding clubs have emerged in Indonesia, Thailand, North America and even European countries such as the UK and France. Malaysia is however the epicenter of this cultural phenomenon. These chickens are prized for their build, size, behavior and showmanship by their owners and competitions or beauty contests as they are often described are held almost every week in at least one village in Malaysia. Judges sit around a square table inspecting each chicken for a few minutes trying to determine a champion specimen in its own weight class based on its stance, temperament and physical assets like wings, tails and comb. The walk or strut by an ornamental chicken in a beauty contest, much like a runway model, constitutes a large part of the scoring system. (Photo by Ernest Goh/2013 Sony World Photography Awards)

A competitor wearing a kilt and standing on a barrel throws a bowling ball between her legs during the “Brigaball” contest at the annual Bundanoon Highland Gathering, showcasing traditional Scottish events, held in the town of Bundanoon, located southwest of Sydney, April 9, 2016. (Photo by David Gray/Reuters)

A family tries to cross a flooded road amid gushing water in Kolkata, India on August 17, 2019. Heavy rain continues for a second day in Kolkata, which contuinued to flood many streets all around the city. Authorities are working overtime to clear the roads. (Photo by Debarchan Chatterjee/Zuma Wire/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A picture made available on 17 July 2015 shows the bright line of the Milky Way above the old oaks at the Rogalin landscape Park in Rogalin village, near Poznan, on the night of 16 July 2015. (Photo by Lukasz Ogrodowczyk/EPA)

A woman holding an umbrella walks past the sculpture by Chinese artist Yue Minjun beside a road during a snow in Beijing, China, November 22, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)

A man stands near smoke billowing from a brick kiln in Karachi, Pakistan, 14 December 2018. According to the UN report, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions have increased for the first time in four years. The United Nations Conference COP24, held in Katowice, Poland, until 14 December 2018, searches for a common position in the fight against climate change. (Photo by Shahzaib Akber/EPA/EFE)

Giant bamboo cones, used to protect rice from overnight moisture during its drying process, in the Brahmanbaria district of Bangladesh in the second decade of April 2025. (Photo by Bipul Ahmed/Solent News & Photo Agency)

A woman controls a ball on Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, April 14, 2016. As hundreds of thousands of tourists begin descending on Rio de Janeiro for the Olympics that start August 5, the headlines have focused on the street violence, the Zika virus, the water pollution and the rush to finish venues and transport. But Rio, known by Brazilians as the “Marvelous City”, glistens despite it all. The beach is a way of life here. (Photo by Nacho Doce/Reuters)